Fuel booster pump



March 14, 1961 T, LQCK FUEL BOOSTER PUMP Filed Jan. 27, 1955 United States Pateu i-,

2,974,602 FUEL BGOSTER PUMP Thomas Lock, Parma,l Ohio, 'assigner to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. Z7, 1955, Ser. No. 484,511 1 Claim. (Cl. 10S- 113) My invention relates in general to rthe pumping of lluids and is particularly concerned with a new and imperatures and/or decreased pressures, yand as an aircraft climbs in altitude the decreased pressure causes such fuel to boil thus increasing its vapor content and making it exceedingly difficult to pump. Numerous attempts have been made to reduce the vapor content of this mixture of liquid and vapor of fuel by incorporating in booster pumps a means of reducing or eliminating the vapor content of the fuel as much as possible and my invention is concerned with a new and improved booster pump which will separate the liquid from the vapors of the liquid-vapor mixture of fuel as found in the fuel tank and deliver the fuel as a liquid `or a fuel having a reduced vapor content to an aircraft engine.

Accordingly', a general object of my invention is to provide a new and improved booster pump for delivering fuel in a liquid formor in a form of a mixture having a reduced vapor content to a fuel consumer from-a source of fuel having an initially high vapor content.

Briefly, my invention comprises a booster pump having a pumping chamber in which is located a rotatable drumlike impeller, forming, by rotation thereof, a rotating annulus of fuel in the pumping chamber. The more dense particles of the rotating fuel will assume a position near 'the outer periphery of the annulus by centrifugal action and will be picked up and conducted to the discharge outlet of the pump under increased pressure leaving the vapor and a liquid having a high vapor content to ilow freely back into the Yfuel tank.

Accordingly amore specific object of my invention is to provide in a `fuel booster pump assembly a means forming `a rotating annulus of fuel a portion of which is picked up and conducted to the outlet of the pump under increased pressure for consumption by the aircraft.

Still another specific object of my invention is the provision in a booster pump assembly of a drum-like impeller which cooperates with the fuel being handled to set up a rotating annulus of fuel within the drum, the outer periphery of which annulus is conducted to the outlet of the pump for ultimate use by a fuel consumer.

Still another goal of my invention is the provision of a drum-like impeller rotatably mounted in a booster pump assembly which whenrotated at suilicient speed forms an annulus of liquid causing heavier liquid portions of the mixture of fuel to 4assume a radially outward position which are scooped up and conducted to the discharge port of the pump at increased pressure for ultimate use by a fuel consumer.

Still another outstanding feature of my invention is the provision of a booster Vpump assembly having a rotating drum-like impeller advantageously cooperating with ,2-2 of Figure 1. and showing wardly through passages 19 (one shown) into .Z a means of conducting fuel having a reduced vapor content tothe outlet of the pump.

Other advantages and uses Vof my invention will become more apparent from a reading of the specification taken in connection with the 4accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view, partially broken away, showing to yadvantage a booster pump assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention;

.Figure 2 is a plan, sectional view, taken along lines to advantage the cooperation between the drum-like impeller and the means for conducting the fuel having a reduced vapor content to the discharge outlet of the pump;

Figure 3 is 1a plan, sectional view, taken along lines v3 3 of Figure 1 and showing to advantage a Iconstruction of the discharge port of my pump assembly.

Referring now in greater detail to the one embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, there is depicted a fuel booster pump assembly comprising generally a housing 10 having a drum-like impeller, indicated in its entirety by 11, rotatably mounted on and suitably vaffixed .to a short, vertically extending, shaft 12 which in turn is driven by remotely controlled motor 13. When the booster pump is typically installed in the manner shown, the complete assembly is positioned by a mounting flange 14, specifically' designed for that purpose, to afford the free gravity iiow of liquid-vapor fuel from the tank to `the impeller 11. Fuel entering the booster pump yassembly from the tank passes through screens 15 and 16 mounted about the upper and lower portions of the housing 1S. The fuel passing through screen 16 moves at iirst radially inwardly past guide plate 17 'and then upwardly into the inner central portion 18 of the rotating drum-like impeller 11. A major portion of the fuel passing through upper screen 15 will move downthe cylindrically formed pumping chamber 20 in the housing 10. Some of the fuel passing through upper screen 15 will move at rst radially inwardly past inlet guide Vanes v21 and thence downwardly through throat 22 into the pumping chamber 20. The reason why only a portion of the 'fuel entering screen 15 under normal operationg conditions will enter throat 22 will be apparent from the description hereinafter. The fuel in `the inner central portion 1S of the drum-like impeller 11 will be rotated and a portion thereof will be conducted to discharge port 23 by means of a pick-up-flare tube means, indicated in its entirety by 24, which is rigidly -aiixed and centrally located of the pump assembly by means of rod 25.

Referring now in greater detail to the drum-like impeller 11 and the pick-up-iiare tube 24 cooperating therewith, particular attention is directed to Figures 1 and 2, where it can be seen that the drum-like impeller 11 comprises a downwardly extending cylindrically formed side 26 suspended from radially extending side 27. yCylindrically formed side 26 is also provided on the end opposite to side 27 with a radially inwardly extending plate-like member 28 suitably aliixed thereto. Plate-like member 28 terminates its inner edge 29 at a distance from the outer periphery of upright outer wall of the tube forming part of pick-up-flare tube means 24 which distance corresponds to the terminal portion 31 of guide plate 17 to enable fuel passing through screen 16 to ow freely into the central portion 18 of drum-like impeller 11. Itis important to note that cylindrical side Z6 is also provided on its radially inward vside wall 32 with a plurality of radially inwardly ex- 33, as shown in Figure 1, do not extend the full width of the inner side wall 32 in order that ports 34 and 35 of pick-up arms 36 and 37, respectively, of pick-upflare tube means 24 can be positioned adjacent the inner side wall 32. Thus, ports 34 and 35 cooperate with the outer portion of the rotating annulus of fuel within the drum-like impeller 11. It is important to note that the fuel picked up by ports 34 and 35 is conducted through inner passages 38 and 39 of pick-up arms 36 and 37, respectively, which, as shown in Figure l, increase in diameter near the center of the pick-up-are tube means and is communicated downwardly through passage 40 formed by the inner wall of tube 30. It is to be noted also that passage 40 gradually increases in diameter as the fuel is communicated toward the passage 41 formed in the lower portion of the housing 11 intermediate the discharge port 23. Similarly, passage 41 increases in diameter from the terminal portion of passage 40 to a distance short of the discharge port 23. The purpose of the continually increasing diameter of the passages .38, 39, 40 and 41 communicating the fuel picked up by the ports 34 and 35 will be explained in detail hereinafter in connection with'the operation of my booster pump assembly.

In the operation of my booster pump assembly, as Ythe motor 13 rotates the drum-like impeller 11, fuel entering the inner central portion 13 thereof past the lower screen 16 or the upper screen 15 is rotated by the action of the rotating radially extending vanes 33 and there is formed a rotating annulus of fuel within the central portion 18, as aforesaid. As is well-known, this fuel found in the inner portion 18 is usually in the form ,of a mixture of liquid and vapor and by rotating the mixture therein the more dense fuel will assume a posi- -tion radially outwardly of the less dense fuel, the latter usuallyx being substantially all vapor or liquid with a high vapor content. As the ports 34 and 35 of the pick-up-are tube means 24 are located adjacent the inside wall 32 and a maximum distance from the center of the rotating annulus, these ports will thus scoop or 4pick up only the more dense fuel, that is, the fuel having the lowest vapor content. The remainder of the fuel, not entering ports 34 and 35, having the most vapor content and being of less weight, will flow upwardly and radially outwardly past guide vanes 21 back into the fuel tank. The pick-up arms 36 and V37 contain the fuel scooped up by openings 34 and 3S which is travelling at a very high velocity and subject to relatively high pressure of centrifugal force. The increasing diameter of the passages 38, 39, 40 and 41 converts this high velocity to static pressure in its travel of the fuel out the discharge port 23.

As evident from the above description, my present invention is an efcient and commercially practical design of a fuel booster pump assembly which efficiently co- 4 operates with the fuel being handled to reduce the vapor content therein by centrifugal actionl in order that the fuel as discharged from my pump can be readily utilized by an aircraft engine or by a fuel pump.

Wherein the various parts of my invention have been referred to as being located in the right or left, or in an upward or downward position, it will be understood that this was done solely for the purpose of 'facilitating description and that such references relate only to the relative positions of the parts as shown in the accompanying drawings.

While my present invention has been disclosed asa single specific embodiment, it is understood that this is by way of example rather than limitation and that my invention is defined by the appended claim which should have a scope consistent with the prior art.

I claim:

A fuel booster pump adapted to be submerged in a fuel tank comprising a hollow cylindrical housing dening a pumping chamber, said housing being provided with central apertures formed in the ends thereof to provide inlet and outlet means communicating with the interior of said fuel tank, a cylindrical impeller having a plurality of radial vanes secured to the inner wall thereof rotatably mounted within said housing for forming a rotating annulus of fuel therein, said impeller being provided with central apertures concentric with the apertures formed in said housing, drive means for rotating said impeller to centrifuge dense fuel outwardly from its center and less dense fuel inwardly toward its center and thence out the passages defined by the aforementioned central apertures, and means positioned within said central apertures and coaxial therewith for collecting the dense fuel and conducting it to an outlet, said collecting means including radial pick-up arms disposed Within said impeller and having the extremities thereof positioned adjacent the interior wall of said impeller.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,722,289 Guriey July 3o, 1929 2,368,530 Edwards Jan. 30, 1945 2,470,319 Norris May 17, 1949 2,690,130 Boeckler Sept. 24, 1954 2,693,148 Doelter Nov. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 34,133 sweden Jan. 2, 1913 80,584 Switzerland Oct. l, 1919 492,854 Great Britain Sept. 28, 1938 523,703 Great Britain July 10, 1940 701,006 Germany Dec. 5, 1950 (Addition to 684,207) 732,770 Germany Mar. 11, 1943 

